Over the last weeks, I have focused on specific issues of how Senator Obama is the best candidate to improve the lives of Americans with disabilities. Now that we have one week to go, I want to summarize the key differences between Senators Obama and McCain. This summary leaves no doubt that if you want a President who will change lives and empower Americans with disabilities, you need to vote to make Barack Obama your next President.
INDEPENDENT LIVING - Barack Obama is a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act (“CCA”), which provides people with disabilities the supports they need to live independently in their communities
- He also is a supporter of the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (“CLASS”) Act.
- You can view Senator Obama verbally stating his support for these legislative actions at: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/disabilities/
- Senator McCain is not a supporter of the Community Choice Act because he claims the CCA will cost too much. You can view his statements at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ5ewmjhkZ4
EDUCATION - We should heavily invest in early intervention educational and developmental programs for children between zero and five so Barack Obama will invest $10 billion per year for this effort.
- That’s why he strongly supports full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), so that elementary and secondary students with disabilities will get the free and appropriate education they should have received.
- Congress promised to fund up to 40% of the states’ excess costs for educating special education students, but has funded only 17% to date.
- Barack Obama will start a new chapter for Americans with disabilities by ensuring full enforcement of the IDEA and the protection of students’ and parents’ rights.
- Senator McCain has repeatedly voted against full funding of IDEA.
ADA AND EMPLOYMENT - We must end discrimination and increase the employment rate of persons with disabilities.
- Barack Obama was an original co-sponsor of the recently enacted ADA Amendments Act, which will effectively overturn those Supreme Court decisions that wrongly narrowed the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- To ensure the effectiveness of this new legislation, he will appoint judges who will respect the laws that are designed to protect and empower Americans with disabilities.
- Senator McCain has promised to appoint the same type of strict-constructionist judges that narrowly interpreted the original intent of the ADA, which necessitated the passing of the ADA Amendments Act.
- Barack Obama also will increase funding to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency charged with ADA employment discrimination enforcement so that the EEOC can fully prosecute cases of discrimination.
- Also, an Obama administration will lead the way by hiring more federal employees with disabilities and encouraging private-sector companies to employ more workers with disabilities and do a better job accommodating their employees with disabilities.
- Specifically, Barack Obama will reinstate Executive Order 13173, which had a mandate of hiring 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
- Notably, Senator McCain has set forth no policies to improve the employment rate for persons with disabilities.
HEALTH CARE - Barack Obama will sign universal health care legislation by the end of his first term in office.
- Americans with disabilities will have quality, affordable, portable coverage so they can take a job without fear of losing their health insurance.
- Obama understands that coverage for pre-existing conditions is critical for Americans with disabilities, which is why under his universal health insurance plan, insurance companies will not be able to stop individuals from getting coverage even if they have pre-existing conditions and disabilities.
- On the other hand, Senator McCain’s plan will continue to allow insurance companies to discriminate on the basis of pre-existing conditions.
- Obama fully supported the recent passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 so that coverage for serious mental illnesses is provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
- Obama will fully fund the VA so that veterans who are recruited and deployed to serve our country have the health care they deserve.
